Page 21 of Dermot

Leaving Rowan to deal with Clay, Dermot turned to Bastien. “You’re going to be careful.”

Bastien arched a brow. “Is that an order?”

“It is. We still need to talk, and we won’t be able to do that if you get hurt.”

“If you want to talk, we can do that before we leave.”

“No. We’ll talk when we come back. Even if we don’t talk, though, I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

The corners of Bastien’s lips curled into a smile. “Careful. You make it sound like you care about me and what happens to me.”

“I do.” Dermot didn’t even have to think about it. Of course he cared what happened to Bastien. Bastien wasn’t only his mate. He was a caring brother. He was stubborn and passionate and ready to sacrifice anything for his family. He had people who loved him and who would be devastated if anything happened to him. Beyond that, there was the bond between them to consider, too. Dermot was still terrified, especially when he thought about what Parrish had done, but Bastien wasn’t Parrish. They weren’t even the same species. Dermot wasn’t sure he could trust Bastien yet, but the bond was pushing them together, and he wanted to trust him.

Bastien’s expression softened, and he reached out to trail his fingertips along Dermot’s cheekbone. It was just a light touch, but it made Dermot feel like his body was on fire.

“Don’t worry too much about me,” Bastien said. “I’m not going anywhere. I have plans.”

Dermot swallowed. “Plans?”

“For you. For my sister. For my life here.”

“You don’t have a life here.” Dermot was an idiot. He could hear what he was saying, but he couldn’t stop himself from saying it.

Bastien grinned, exposing his fangs. “Don’t I?”

* * * *

BASTIEN WASN’T SURE what was going on in Dermot’s mind, and he was incredibly curious, but now wasn’t the time to push for answers. He liked flustering Dermot, though, and he’d noticed over the past few days that it happened every time he smiled. It wasn’t just a smile, though. No, it was when he smiled and showed his fangs, when he smiled wide and happy.

Bastien had many things to be unhappy about at the moment, but he also had some things to be happy about. His family was safe, except for his sister. He wouldn’t have to face Parrish on his own, and since he’d arrived at the village, he’d managed to make friends and get close to people, including his mate. Dermot might have fought that tooth and nail, but that was over. After what happened with Celeste, Dermot seemed to be on board with the bond between him and Bastien. They hadn’t talked about it yet, but they would.

Bastien was almost afraid to find out what would happen when they did. Either way, he was glad they didn’t have to deal with this now. It was easier for him to focus on getting Celeste back and dealing with Parrish.

“Is everyone ready?” Rowan asked, looking around his kitchen.

It was full to bursting today. A few clan members were here, mostly because while Rowan and the others would be gone, they’d be in charge. That included Clay, who would lead the clan until Rowan was back, but also Tamsin, Dermot’s friend. Dermot wasn’t solely in charge of the magic shields that protected the village, but he was a massive part of them, and Tamsin would ensure that they weren’t weakened in case something happened to Dermot.

Bastien gritted his teeth. He wouldn’t allow anything to happen to his mate. Parrish had already taken enough from him. He’d taken enough from Celeste, too. She deserved to be happy and to have the life she’d always dreamed of. Bastien wouldn’t allow Parrish to keep that life from her, not when he had the possibility of fixing it. He wouldn’t do anything stupid, just like he’d said, but that wouldn’t stop him from trying to get to Parrish if he could. He wouldn’t give him the killing blow, but he could help Rowan.

Bastien didn’t know what his life would look like once this was over. He didn’t think he could go home. Something told him that Celeste would want to stay at the village instead of going back to their family, and if she did, Bastien would stay with her. Even if she didn’t, though, he’d probably end up becoming a part of this clan. There was no way his mate was going anywhere, not after losing his previous home. There was too much pain in Dermot’s past. Bastien wasn’t about to cause more by asking Dermot to move away from the people he considered family, not after he’d lost his biological family the way he had.

“Let’s go,” Rowan said. Apparently, someone had indicated that they were ready, and he’d taken that to mean that everyone was. That was fine with Bastien. The sooner they got out there and faced Parrish, the sooner he’d have his sister back. That also meant the sooner he’d be able to have that conversation with Dermot.

That was if both of them made it out alive.

They would. Bastien wouldn’t have it any other way, and he was a stubborn man. What he wanted, he usually got.

And Parrish would pay the consequences of that.

Thanks to the spies sent by the Whitedell pride, they knew where Parrish was holed up. They also knew that he wasn’t alone, but they’d expected that. It was why a team of enforcers was working with them.

Bastien had initially been wary because he wasn’t sure he trusted the council, but Rowan had assured him that this team in particular was more closely linked to the Whitedell pride than the council. Bastien didn’t understand how that worked, and he didn’t care. In truth, he didn’t care about much but getting his sister back.

But working with enforcers meant that they’d have someone to take care of the people Parrish had surrounded himself with. It meant that Bastien could truly focus on Celeste instead of having to worry about fighting Kudlak. It was a relief, just like it was a relief to know that enforcers would protect Dermot.

He wasn’t a fighter. He was here because he wanted to be, for Bastien. He was also here because he felt guilty about the way he’d treated Celeste. Celeste wouldn’t care when she found out about all of this, and Bastien had tried telling Dermot that, but it didn’t make things easier on his mate.

Dermot was also here because he was angry. He’d lost his family to Kudlak, and in a way, Parrish represented all Kudlak. Killing him wouldn’t bring the people Dermot had lost back, but it would make him feel better, and Bastien was on board with that. After everything Parrish had put Rowan and the clan through, they all deserved to see him die.